originally posted by lars christiansen
Hello, A wonderful story. I've read COTH and MS, and am right now waiting for the delivery of the third volume.
So if my questions leads to spoilers please do not answer, just tell me to read on.
Going back volumes, to see what I might have missed, I did not get very far before important questions arose.
The black prince being prisoner, he casts a spell on Lyssander, who relives a scene between his father and mother. During the dispute the King says his queen "I'll bed you until you conceive the Master of Shadow I was promised."
My questions are:
"Who promised what to the king"
and
" What knowledge of the roles of the two half brothers, in the future and in another world did the king have?"
Thanks in advance, and a double thanks for the great stories you give us.
Lecolombier
originally posted by Trys
Welcome Lecolombier,
The elemental abilities of Light and Shadow were part of Telara s'Ahelas dowry to her husband. When she bore Lysaer he got the first part of that dowry, elemental control of Light. Talera left and went to her husband's enemy, Avar s'Falenn and bears him a son, Arithon. Arithon gets control of elemental Shadow.
Janny can confirm, but I believe the 'promise' of the dowry would have been made by Mak s'Ahelas, Telera's father who is also the High Mage of Rauven.
As to the second question, I don't belive the King of Amroth had any foreknowledge of what would happen to the two half brothers on Athera. I don't believe he knew that when he had Arithon exiled to the Red Desert world that other forces would also exile Lysaer.
As an FYI there is a wonderful resource available at wiki.paravia.com maintained by Brian Uri who deserves a garland of Martian fireflowers for his work there.
Trys
Welcome here Leocolombier - thanks for taking the time to check in!
Trys was very accurate in answering your questons (which will spoil nothing).
Yes, the gifts were a bride's dowry.
Yes, the king of Amroth had no knowledge of where the gifts might lead in the future - I'd not stake much, though, that the mages of Raven didn't have (perhaps) an inkling of greater things.
Enjoy the rest of the series and DO be cautious here, of spoilers.
There was a recent discussion of Curse of the Mistwraith on GoodReads in the Fantasy Book Club. The read was July, the discussion is still posted, and could be joined in, at any time. Feel free to plunge, here or there. Nice to see a new face!
originally posted by Annette
What always struck me as strange about the scene Arithon spun to tormented Lysaer with was how did Arithon have that image in the first place? He could not have been around when Talera was with Avar, he was not even born yet. Was Arithon just making it up? Or did Avar perhaps tell Arithon about his time with Talera.
originally posted by Sleo
He pulled it out of Lysaer's unconscious/forgotten memories.
originally posted by Annette
Lysaer was definitely not present when Avar and Talera were making love, he was left back home on Amroth. Neither was Arithon there, so who's memory was it? If Arithon pulled it out of anyone's memory it would have to be Talera or Avar's, seems a bit invasive to go fishing through your parents private memories, unless Avar did tell him. Or Arithon just made it up to get Lysaer angry enough to kill him and there was no real collection of memories. But then Arithon's experience of love seemed a bit lacking back then.
originally posted by Sleo
Oh, I was thinking of the parts with Lysaer in them. I think Arithon conjured the rest from his vivid imagination. And yes, his experience of love was a bit lacking. But clearly, he was antagonizing Lysaer, whether to kill him or from the feud between the two families is hard to say.
originally posted by Annette
Arithon seemed fairly determined to die, whether by his own hand or someone else's. Rauven's listner also mentioned it a few times.
quote:What words could tell an ageing man that his beloved grandson had tried to provoke his own death? Did phrases exist that could soften the despair behind such an act, that a king's blind hatred for a wife's transgressions might fall upon the hapless flesh of her son?
quote:He tried with all his will to avoid surrender to the king's justice alive. His effort failed. His captors have drugged him senseless.
And Arithon's own thoughts gave a hint why.
quote:Would you suffer s'Ilessid vengeance for your mother's broken marriage vows?
quote:"If I'm to be scapegoat before the court of Amroth, let me not last an hour. Free of the drug, I believe I can achieve that."
Hatred would not be a motive for Arithon's actions, his very nature would prevent that. Not that we knew that at the very beginning.
originally posted by Sleo
Oh, you're undoubtedly right. But I meant to say 'to kill himself', not 'to kill him.' But I imagine there was some bad feeling there because of Amroth's clear superiority over Rauven, whose citizens could barely make a living.